Corrugated knit sleeve and method of construction thereof

Abstract

A knit tubular sleeve for providing abrasion resistance and expansion restriction to an elastic elongate member extending therethrough and method of construction thereof is provided. The knit tubular sleeve includes a knit tubular wall extending along a longitudinal axis between opposite ends. The knit wall has a plurality of coaxially aligned first regions forming crests spaced axially from one another by intermediate second regions forming troughs between the crests. The first and second regions are knitted over a plurality of courses, with each of the courses comprising a plurality of knit stitches extending circumferentially around the longitudinal axis. The courses of the first regions are formed with a different pattern of knit stitches from the courses of the second regions, wherein the second regions provide the wall with a decreased capacity to expand radially relative to the first regions, thereby inhibiting the elongate member against radial expansion.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A knit tubular sleeve for providing abrasion resistance and expansion restriction to an elongate member extending therethrough, comprising:
 a knit tubular wall extending along a longitudinal axis between opposite ends, said wall having a plurality of coaxially aligned first regions forming crests spaced axially from one another by intermediate second regions forming troughs between said crests, said first and second regions being knitted over a plurality of courses, each of said courses comprising a plurality of knit stitches extending circumferentially around said longitudinal axis, said courses of said first regions being formed with knit stitches of a different stitch pattern from said courses of said second regions and thereby providing said second regions with a decreased capacity to expand radially relative to said first regions, wherein said second regions include missed-stitches; and 
 wherein said crests formed by said first regions extend from radially innermost courses adjacent said troughs to radially outermost courses forming peaks, said knit stitches of said peaks having stitch lengths greater than said knit stitches of said radially innermost courses. 
 
     
     
       2. The knit tubular sleeve of  claim 1  wherein said wall further includes cylindrical regions knitted over a plurality of courses, each of said cylindrical regions extending from one of said opposite ends toward an adjacent crest, said courses of said cylindrical regions being formed with a different pattern of knit stitches from said courses of said first and second regions. 
     
     
       3. The knit tubular sleeve of  claim 1  wherein said first regions are formed by one of 1×1 jersey knit stitches or interlocking knit stitches. 
     
     
       4. The knit tubular sleeve of  claim 1  wherein said second region missed-stitches skip at least 3 needles. 
     
     
       5. The knit tubular sleeve of  claim 4  wherein said second region missed-stitches skip 4 needles. 
     
     
       6. The knit tubular sleeve of  claim 2  wherein said cylindrical regions include missed-stitches. 
     
     
       7. The knit tubular sleeve of  claim 6  wherein said cylindrical region missed-stitches skip 2 needles. 
     
     
       8. The knit tubular sleeve of  claim 1  wherein said knit stitches in alternating courses of each of said first regions increase in length from said radially innermost course to said course forming said peak. 
     
     
       9. A method of constructing a tubular sleeve, comprising:
 knitting a tubular wall from a plurality courses extending circumferentially about a longitudinal axis of the wall with the courses forming coaxially aligned first regions having crests and intermediate second regions forming troughs between adjacent crests; 
 knitting the courses of the first regions having a different pattern of knit stitches from the courses of the second regions to provide the second regions with a decreased capacity to expand radially relative to the first regions; 
 further including forming the crests to extend from radially innermost courses adjacent the troughs to radially outermost courses forming peaks and knitting the stitches forming the peaks with stitch lengths greater than stitch lengths of the knit stitches forming the radially innermost courses; and 
 further including knitting cylindrical regions from a plurality of courses extending from opposite ends of the tubular wall toward an adjacent crest and knitting the courses of the cylindrical regions with knit stitches having a different pattern from the knit stitches in the courses forming the first and second regions. 
 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 9  further including knitting the first regions with one of 1×1 jersey knit stitches or interlocking knit stitches. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 9  further including knitting the second regions with missed-stitches. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 10  further including knitting the second regions with missed-stitches. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 12  further including skipping at least 3 needles to form the second region missed-stitches. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 13  further including skipping 4 needles to form the second region missed-stitches. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 9  further including knitting the cylindrical regions with missed-stitches. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 15  further including skipping 2 needles to form the cylindrical region missed-stitches. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 9  further including knitting alternating courses of each of the first regions having knit stitches increasing in length moving from the radially innermost course to the course forming the peak.